Metal and heavy music news and reviews

Monthly Archives: February 2018

Floridian death metal titans Obituary have announced a month-long European headlining tour, beginning on 3rd March in Cologne DE and ending 1st April in Schijndel NL at Paaspop Festival. A full list of tour dates is available below.

Obituary commented on the tour:

We are super excited to be back on a headlining tour in Europe. We have had great opportunities as direct support these past few years for Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and Kreator but it’s time to get back to that final slot and the full power of a headlining tour. 45-50 min spots are just not enough for Obituary to cover all albums from the past three decades and our fans expect and deserve to see more… and more is what they will get from us on these dates.

We can’t wait to bring our full production and full-length concert to Europe. We will be performing many songs from the self-titled and Inked in Blood releases along with showcasing all the classics that everyone loves and is eager to hear.

We are working on the set list right now and want to hear from our fans which songs they want to hear so we encourage you to give us your ideas, thoughts and suggestions. Hang on to your asses because shit’s about to get real….Real Heavy!!!

Atmospheric metal band Laster has signed with Prophecy Productions. The Netherlandic group, which formed in 2012 and refers to its ferocious sound as “obscure dance music,” is currently hard at work on its third full-length release and follow-up to last year’s Ons Vrije Fatum (Dunkelheit Produktionen). Laster‘s Prophecy debut is expected in 2018.

A uniquely gifted band with a singular, solitary sound, Laster plays metal with all its fury, but its music could also be described as progressive (i.e. Crack the Skye-era Mastodon), atmospheric, experimental, and even jazz-like. Attempting to categorize Laster‘s elaborately textured and ever-changing style is like trying to catch air with a net; it’s difficult to describe, but “atmospheric blackened shoegaze space prog” should provide a shadowy sense of what to expect. The band has the ability to stun first-time listeners with the utter violence of its initial impact which is unapologetically harsh, particularly with regards to the vocals which morph from flesh-peeling shrieks to ugly, gasping growls, harsh whispers, somber spoken words and rising yells of anguish. Despite its gruff exterior, digging into Laster‘s compositions reveals many layers of complexity.

“Prophecy has been part of our musical development since we were in our early teens. Inviting each other to this dance feels like a proper and weirdly magical gesture,” comments the band when asked for a statement. “At the moment we are in the middle of the writing process. The record will be an expansion of Ons Vrije Fatum. A bit more technical. A lot more nocturnal. City vibes. Some more dissonance. Experimental.”